When I first developed our resveratrol-based antioxidant skin
care product Veraderma in conjunction with Calidora Skin Clinics in 2008, I had
good reason to believe in its potent anti-aging capabilities. Resveratrol , the
multipurpose miracle molecule whose most familiar source is wine grape skins
(hence red wine because it is fermented with the skins), has become a bit of a
sensation since then. Several major skin care companies now include wine
compounds in their products, and the science continues to reinforce the role of
resveratrol in healthy skin (even if its use as an oral supplement remains to
be proven.)
One example comes from independent research underwritten by
L’Oreal, which found that there are specific resveratrol “binding sites” in human
skin cells that mediate resveratrol’s protective properties. These binding
sites appear to trigger changes within the cells rendering them resistant to
damage from environmental toxins. Notably, resveratrol was more effective than the
green tea-derived antioxidant compound EGCG, and the resveratrol derivative piceatannol.
This latter finding may actually be the most significant
aspect of the study because it makes the case for resveratrol as a skin care
ingredient as opposed to a supplement. One of the concerns with use of
resveratrol as a supplement is that it is rapidly metabolized into other
compounds such as piceatannol, so if it ever reaches the skin through the
bloodstream it may have either changed into something else or not reach high enough
levels to be meaningful. (Another recent study found however that resveratrol
combined with other wine polyphenols improved skin moisturization and
elasticity, and diminished skin roughness
and depth of wrinkles after 60 days of taking the supplement.)
Another somewhat confused issue is whether resveratrol is a
true activator of anti-aging enzymes called sirtuins. You will recall that
resveratrol was hailed as an anti-aging breakthrough when it was first reported
to be a situin activator –at least in yeast, roundworms, and fruitflies – and an
industry was born. The picture turns out to be considerably more complicated
however, but sirtuins have been recently shown to promote healthy skin. It is
possible that resveratrol works via this pathway as well. There is clearly much
to be learned still about resveratrol despite the hundreds of published
studies, but if your skin care plan doesn’t include wine polyphenols, you may
be missing out.
Comments
Post a Comment